The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB, Las Vegas

February 27, 2015 by 12 Comments

After my little free Art Walk Tour through Gallery Row and The Shops at the Crystals and Aria, I was feeling a little snacky and thirsty. It was Saturday and sunny, and they serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays until 3 PM so I stopped at Todd English P.U.B. Restaurant (P.U.B. standing for Public Urban Bar). On a Sunday, the regular brunch time this place is likely crazy, but on a Saturday I was seated immediately.

Pretty much I am a huge fan of a good bloody mary, and that was exactly what they were advertising so… sold!
The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas

For the bloody mary menu, you can build your own starting from a choice of vodka or infusion (example infusions include “chipotle” with chipotle, bell, ancho and jalapeno peppers and sugar or “bacon” with applewood bacon and maple syrup), many fixings varying from Old Bay Seasoning and juices (Todd’s blend or V8 or even beef broth or cucumber water) to 9 different hot sauces, 3 kinds of splashes (lime, lemon, or olive brine) and 18 garnishes varying from various pickled items to salami to even shrimp or lobster!
The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas - you can build your own or select the Meat N Potato Mary, All About Mary, or Bodacious Blonde Mary at the bottom The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas - you can build your own or select the Meat N Potato Mary, All About Mary, or Bodacious Blonde Mary at the bottom The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas - you can build your own or select the Meat N Potato Mary, All About Mary, or Bodacious Blonde Mary at the bottom

If that’s too much freedom and choice for you, they also provide 3 bloody mary pre-created combinations or 4 bubbly blends if you want a take on a mimosa. The two shown below are two of those combos from the Todd’s Farm Fresh Bloody Marys section. The Todd English Meat N Potato Mary includes TE knob Creek single barrel bourbon, beef broth, Todd’s Sinful Blend, Worcestershire, steak sauce, toped with waffle fries, bacon, salami, scallions and black olives
At Todd English PUB located between Crystals and Aria, the Meat N Potato Mary includes TE knob Creek single barrel bourbon, beef broth, Todd's Sinful Blend, Worcestershire, steak sauce, toped with waffle fries, bacon, salami, scallions and black olives

And, if that wasn’t enough, here is the proof that the Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas and are currently the winner for best garnished bloody mary. This one is the All About Mary with choice of vodka, Todd’s Sinful Blend, stacked with a slider, crispy chicken wing, chilled shrimp, corn dog pup, stuffed olives, celery, carrot and pickled asparagus.
The Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB on Sat and Sun are outrageous in Las Vegas. This one is the All About Mary with choice of vodka, Todd's Sinful Blend, stacked with a slider, crispy chicken wing, chilled shrimp, corn dog pup, stuffed olives, cleery, carrot and pickled asparagus

If you want further snacks to soak up the alcohol, I was smitten with the crispy beer battered pickles served with bbq sauce, ranch, sauce, and blue cheese fondue.
Fried pickles from the Todd English Pub

Other options to eat include duck buns, corn dog puppies, junk chips (with bbq beef ragu and blue cheese and more), prime rib beef chili… and that’s just the appetizer and snack section. There’s almost a dozen burger and sandwiches, another dozen PUB favorites from classic bangers and mash or fish and chips to shepherd’s pie and ribeye…

There’s 9 different carved meats from the rotisserie available by the half or full pound, and several RAw Bar selections. Don’t forget brunch options like a English Bagel Taco or Lobster Benedict.

If the bloody marys don’t tempt you, there are almost 50 beers, beer flights, beer cocktails, more than a half dozen bourbon cocktails, there’s sangria, mead, cider, buckets of canned beer, and more. Happy hour everyday from 3-6 PM and 10-? PM offer $1 wings, $2 oysters, $3 sliders, 1/2 price pints.

Did I mention dessert includes a S’mores Board for two or more? And there’s 3 kind of Adult Shakes?

Todd English PUB is located in Las Vegas by Aria, and also in Birmingham, if that is more convenient.

Have you ever been to a Todd English establishment? What do you think of these over the top bloody marys? What would be your dream garnishes for a bloody mary?

My Guide to the Free and the Food on the Las Vegas Strip

  • Las Vegas Hotels at the South End of Strip: Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, and MGM Grand and what each offers in terms of feel
  • A look at some of the breakfast options at Della’s Kitchen in the Delano, including juice, Doughssant, bacon cheddar biscuits, and Pecan Raisin French Toast
  • Take a little trip to Europe with the offerings and recommendations for free stops in the Middle of the Las Vegas Strip like Paris, Caesar’s, and the Bellagio properties. Did I mention they are all free, and include the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain?
  • Photos recapping my lunch at Giada Las Vegas inside the Cromwell, including the G signature cocktail, flatbread with pesto, burrata, grilled cheese, gelato
  • Art Walking Tour at The Shops at Crystals and Aria, Las Vegas, including Gallery Row with Richard MacDonald and Dale Chihuly to the various art in Crystals and Aria
  • The garnishes of the Bloody Marys at Todd English PUB in Las Vegas are outrageous, ranging from bacon, onions rings, sliders and corn dogs to chicken wing
  • My tour of The Wynn in Las Vegas, including details on The Lake of Dreams, Parasol Down, the Conservatory, Jeff Koons sculptures, and Le Reve The Dream show
  • Lunch at Beijing Noodle No 9, Caesar’s Las Vegas of Shanghai Wave cocktail, Sichuan Dan Dan Mein Spring Noodles, Shanghai Soup Dumplings, and Lamb Pancakes
  • A Steampunk restaurant of Rx Boiler Room by Mandalay Bay brings an opportunity for a cocktail from a crystal skull
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Scenes from Chelsea Market and Todd English Food Hall

May 28, 2014 by 7 Comments

I couldn’t visit New York without stopping by both of these food court meccas, could I? So as I mentioned in my last New York recap post where I basically draw little hearts all over Russ & Daughters, I had one day off from the conference. After eating the best bagel and lox sandwich in my entire life, I needed a little walk… so I walked to Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market became my progressive lunch stop. Later that evening, I would visit Todd English Food Hall for dinner. Here is my photo recap of the scenes from Chelsea Market and Todd English Food Hall. Warning, this is a very photo heavy post!

Chelsea Market

I browsed the Chelsea Market looking at all the shops, even bringing back some snacks from The Nut Box and learning about spices at Spices and Tease. If you haven’t heard of Chelsea Market before, it’s a giant building- a whole city block long- which hosts an indoor food hall that includes shop vendors like I just mentioned as well as cheese vendors, bakeries, and imported Italian specialty food.
Chelsea Market, New York

It also is the home to many small booths just like you might expect in any food court mall, but here the vendors include big names like Buddakan, Morimoto, Sarabeth’s or an outpost of the highly ranked sandwich New York chain Num Pang. You can get fine Maine lobsters (Lobster Place) and escargot, Australian meat pies (Tuck Shop), made fresh daily pastas (Rana), conversation cookies (Eleni’s) or crepes (Bar Suzette) and more.
Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York

I walked around a long time, wanting to eat everything but settling for just feasting with my eyes. There was a lot to look at just in terms of the building itself with its stripped down architecture including safe deposit boxes that surround one elevator shaft, glistening starry strings of lights that sparkle as curtains in a hallway with a large clock, a fountain gushing water echoing the richness of the food bounty surrounding its location, and various art, old and new, adoring its halls.
Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York

I ogled all the food in the shops and food booths and on people’s tables also like it was another form of art all around me.

Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York Chelsea Market, New York
Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, New York

For lunch, I followed a recommendation to Dickson’s Farmstand, where I had the rotisserie chicken with brussels sprouts and potatoes. The poultry at Dickson’s is brought into the city every morning from Amish farms in Lancaster Pennsylvania or live poultry market in Queens. Dickson’s calls in their order for their chickens fresh each day. The chickens are cage-free barn raised without hormones or antibiotics and have a vegetarian diet. I couldn’t help but want to support this old fashioned way of sourcing.
Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York Dickson's Farmstand Meats, Chelsea Market, New York

Oh, did I also mention that this building is also the office of Food Network, and they film Iron Chef America and used to film Emeril Live here? During my visit I was still in the midst of reading From Scratch: Inside the Food Network, which I already reviewed in another blog post so I was also letting my imagination fill in the blanks of the tales from the book on how Food Network was formed and grew up as I also people watched during my visit.

Todd English Food Hall

Later that same day, I browsed the Todd English Food Hall, located in the basement of the Plaza Hotel. I walked there from my hotel, which gave me a little time to walk around Central Park at dusk by Columbus Circle as I walked there along W 59th and watch the moon rise.
Some shots from Central Park at dusk by Columbus Circle Some shots from Central Park at dusk

Keep in mind that the Todd English Food Hall is in the Plaza basement floor. So, rather then going up the steps past the doorman to enter the hotel, look for the sign and doorway, which will then lead you to escalators down.
Todd English Food Hall entrance Todd English Food Hall entrance Todd English Food Hall entrance

While Chelsea Market had been an upscale take on a food court, the Todd English Food Hall is a modern take on European specialty markets. There were lots of rows of beautiful goods, and in a few places there were some stools so you can sit at a bar and enjoy a bite to eat at some of the booths that offered food service rather than just food goods. There are nine such food booths, representing nine kinds of food stations (Burger Grill, a Seafood/Oyster Bar, Asian Noodles and Dumplings, Pasta Bar, Flatbread Pizza Bar, Sushi Bar, Taqueria, Cheese & Charcuterie, and a Wine Bar and Patisserie).
Todd English Food Hall, New York listing of occupants

As I was waiting for my friend and her friends to arrive, I browsed with my eyes and camera… Yes, that is S’more made to order. Why is this not a food cart here in Portland.
Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York  Todd English Food Hall, New York Todd English Food Hall, New York

For our dinner we ate at the restaurant within this underground food hall. Here, the menu includes some selections from each of those food stations, but it is brought to you at the table instead of sitting at one of the individual food stations. You don’t get access to the whole menu of each station though – for instance you can’t order the lobster roll, but you can a whole grilled lobster, or you can only have 3 choices of tacos.

There was a lot of wine going on at this dinner, and also I wasn’t exactly starving for a lot of dishes given my visit to Russ & Daughters and Chelsea Market and Momofuku Milk Bar earlier in the day. So, my pictures here are a bit more limited. We started out with a side order of Brussels Sprouts with pancetta, roasted jalapeno, red wine vinegar, and butter. Although I won’t be adding pancetta to my regular roasted brussels sprouts standby recipe, I did like the addition of the roasted jalapenos for a little extra kick!

And we got two orders of those addictive and light Risotto Tater Tots with fontina and truffle aioli
Todd English Food Hall, New York - Brussels Sprouts with pancetta, roasted jalapeno, red wine vinegar, and butter Todd English Food Hall, New York - Risotto Tater Tots with fontina and truffle aioli

Also maybe some Fried Oysters with caviar creme fraiche, lemon, and micro cilantro
Todd English Food Hall, New York - Fried Oysters with caviar creme fraiche, lemon, and micro cilantro Todd English Food Hall, New York - Fried Oysters with caviar creme fraiche, lemon, and micro cilantro

When you dine here, do not miss out on the Rigatoni Bolognese. It uses Todd’s Old School bolognese, veal reduction, and pecorino – here we happened to switch out the rigatoni pasta with gluten free spaghettini for my gluten free friend (you can also substiute Whole wheat for any pasta dish of your choice). That sauce is incredible- I can just eat that sauce by itself with a spoon. 10/10. Would go there and order this pasta dish again, as well as more new things to try, but this is a dish worth repeating. The Veal Agnolotti with veal confit, truffle, and parmesan was good, but that bolognese was even better.
Todd English Food Hall, New York - Rigatoni Bolognese, It uses Todd’s old school bolognese, veal reduction, and pecorino - here we happened to switch out the rigatoni pasta with gluten free spaghettini for my gluten free friend Todd English Food Hall, New York - Veal Agnolotti with veal confit, truffle, parmesan

If you are meeting a group of friends in New York, definitely consider stopping by either Chelsea Market  or Todd English Food Hall for a meal together. By having a good group, you can try a lot of different things at these places, and the possibilities are just amazing that you will want to take advantage of numbers to try as much as you can! If you go to Todd English, make a reservation – otherwise if you are trying to eat at the food stations since it is a bar it is better to be a small party of 1-2. For Chelsea Market, there are some tables but if the weather is nice consider taking your food outside and walking to the High Line park.

I still have two more meals to cover from my time in New York (it sure seems like I ate a lot huh in the 6 days I was there…): Pearl Oyster Bar, and Ivan Ramen!

Other New York highlights from this trip that I have blogged about:

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